Cotton-gin feeder



Feb. 26 1924. 1,485,236 A. w. MERKEL COTTON GIN FEEDER Filed July 10, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet l 7 I an ucntoz m/zwe/ Feb. 26 1924., 1,485,236

A. W. MERKEL COTTON GIN FEEDER Filed July 10 1923 a Sheets-Sheet s 1 1 4? aha-cum Patented Feb. 25, IFZQ.

ARTHUR W. MERKEL, F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

COTTON-GIN FEEDER.

Application filed July 10, 1923. Serial No. 650,703.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. MERKEL, a citizen of the United States,'residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Gin Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton gin feeders, and the primary object of the same is to conveniently and positively regulate the amount of cotton passing through the feeder and into the gin breast, and also to provide means as a part of the feeder organization to permit the operator to stop the ginning of cotton in the event of accidents or irregularity of operation, or when a certain quantity of cotton has been ginned, and also to stop the feeding of the cotton whenever the gin breast is raised out of the saws and prevent an accumulation of cotton in the gin breast and avoid choking of the gin.' A further object of the invention is to provide a cotton gin feeder wherein a constant speed of the feeding rollers at different rates may be obtained and thereby deliver into the gin breast the same amount of cotton at a predetermined time, and also under certain con- .ditions permit the breast to be raised without interfering with the feed of the cotton. A further object of the invention is to pro vide a cotton feeding organization embodying interacting gear elements which are so disposed and operate that they cannot slip and when brought into engaging position will, with surety, be caused to have positive intermeshing actuation in accordance with the adjustment thereof. A still further object of the invention is to generally improve cotton gin feeders having manually adjustable means to regulate the speed of feed as well as cessation and continuation of the feed of the cotton and which when once set in a desirable adjustment will continue to operate with regularity and supply cotton to the gin breast in such quantity as to effect a thorough and reliable ginning operation.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the drawings:

Fig; l is a side elevation of a gin feeder and a portion of a gin shown in section and its breast and illustrating the improved mechanism applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is-a side elevation of a portion'of a gin partially shown in section together with the gin breast and a part of one of the saws, showing a portion of the improved mechanism attached to the breast;

Fig. 3 is a section through'an ordinary gin feeder on a reduced scale, to illustrate v the same;

Fig. is a transverse vertical section on the line 55, Fig. 4.; t

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line 6-6, Fig. 4; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail elevations on an enlarged scale, showing the rod coupling or attaching means for the gin breast and embodying a part of the features ofthe invention. I

The numeral 5 designates the feeder casing having an upper inlet 6 and adapted to be disposed as usual on the top of the gin frame 7 and suitably braced or supported by structural features and accessoriescommonly employed in gin feeding mountings. The mechanism within the interior of the casing 5 is that usually found in standardized gin feeder organizations and, as shown on a smaller scale by Fig. 3, comprises a picker roller 8 secured on a shaft 9 extending transversely through the casing 5 and disposed belowupper feed rollers 1.0 and 11 respectively mounted on'sha-fts 12 and 13 having intermeshing operating gears 14 for imparting to the said rollers and 11 a proper direction of feed. Below and close to the picker roller 8 is located a concave screen 15, for separating the dust, dirt and other foreign matter from the said cotton upon which the said roller operates. In the lower reduced extremity of the casing 5 is a trough 16 having a rotary conveyor 17 therein and by means of which dust and other foreign matter removed from the cotton by the cleaning mechanism above may be conveyed away from the machine. The cotton is supplied to the feeder through a chute 6 which is fitted in the upper inlet end 6, and extending away from the front side of the casing 5 is a discharge spout 18, which is continued downwardly at an angle above the breast 19, as shown by Fig. 2. The breast, as in ordinary gin structures, is movably mounted and may be raised and lowered relatively to the gin saws. The breast is attached to the rib rail 19 as usual, and said rail has a bracket 21 hinged to the adjacent portion of the gin frame, as at 20, the bracket having a square pin 22 projecting laterally therefrom. The movement of the breast 19, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, is in relation to the gin saws 23, and by this means the cotton to be ginned is regulated as to its charge relatively to the said saws, and moreover, the cotton may be drawn away from, or brought into engagement with, the saws as conditions of the operation of the gin may require.

On one side of the casing 5 and secured to the shaft 13 of the feed roller 11 is a worm wheel 24, and on the same side the end of the picker roller shaft 9 has a beveled pinion 25 keyed thereto, the opposite end of said picker roll shaft being provided with a drive pulley 26 adapted to receive power from a suitable source. Mounted to swing on the picker roll shaft 9 is a bracket frame 27 of suitable construction and comprising a gear case 28 with shaft-bearing extensions 29, 30, 31 and 32 projecting from opposite ends thereof. The bracket frame 27 also carries at one extremity a bearing device 33, in alinement with the bearing extensions 29 and 31 of the gear case 28. The gear case 28 will be made up of suitable sections, for convenience of mounting the parts or mechanical devices enclosed. thereby. The greater weight of the bracket frame is to the left of the end of the shaft 9 and the beveled pinion or gear 25 in view of the gear case 28 and the parts enclosed thereby, and as a consequence, the tendency will be to throw the inner lighter extremity of the bracket frame upwardly towards the worm wheel 2%. To limit the upward movement of the inner or right extremity of the bracket frame 27, the latter has a depending extension 35 with a projection 36 in which a set screw 37 is adjustably mounted, the upper end of this screw being positioned to contact with the lower portion of a stop pin 38 extending outwardly from the adjacent side of the casing 5. Rotatably mounted in the bearing device 33 and extending through the hearing extension 29 the upper part of the gear" case and into the bearing extension, is a worm shaft 39 having thereon a worm 10, which normally meshes with the lower portion of the worm wheel 24. Vi ithin the gear case a series of gears 41, 12, 43 and ll are loosely mounted on the shaft 39 and have their inner portions separated by space washers 45. The gears or pinions 41, 42, 4:3 and 4 1 regularly decrease in dimensions from the gear or pinion l1 to the gear or pinion 14, and the extremity of the shaft 39 within the gear case around which the said gears or pinions operate is formed with a bore i6 extending fully through the outer end of the said shaft, and in the upper portion of the shaft is a slot 17. Adjacent to or immediately above the slot 1-7 the pinions or gears 41, 12, 1-3 and a l each have a key groove as formed therein and these grooves are closed at their opposite ends by the washers .5, which closely embrace or engage the extremity of the shaft 39 within the gear case and provide partitions between the said gears or pinions for a purpose which will be presently explained. In the lower por ion of the gear case 28 a motion transmission shaft 19 is mounted in the bearing extensions 30 and 32 and has on the inner end thereof a beveled gear or pinion 50,

which is held in continual mesh with the beveled gee r or pinion 25 on the end of the shaft 9. lVithin the case 28 on the transmission shaft 49 are a plurality of gears or pinions 51, 52, 53 and 5%, all secured to the shaft by a common key the gears 51 to 54, inclusive, respectively meshing with the gears 41 to 4- 1, inclusive, loosely mounted on the hollow or tubular extremity of the shaft 39 within the gear case 28. The gear or pinion 51 is the smallest in dimensions of the lower group of gears, and from this innermost gear 51 the remaining gears 52, 53 and 54 of the same group gradually increase in dimensions. The picker roller shaft 9 constitutes a drivitiig shaft, the shaft a9 a transmission shaft as above noted, and the worm shaft 39 a driven shaft, and the speed of rotation of the shaft and the worm 10 carried thereby as well as the worm wheel 24- depends upon the gears 41 to 44, inclusive, which are caused to rotate with the shaft and the corresponding gears 51 to 54, inclusive, on the shaft 49 Readily operable means are provided for either rotatably connecting the individual gears 41 to all, inclusive, to the shaft 39 or for disconnecting the said gears from the latter shaft, the same means being under manual control and readily adjustable. The preferred means illustrated consists of a sliding key generally indicated by the reference character 55 and movable longitudinally of the bore 4-6 of the shaft 39. A supplemental gear case 56 is secured to the extension 31 by means of a sleeve 57 forming a part of, or secured to, the said supplemental casing and projecting into the bore 53 of the extension 31. The sleeve 57 has a bore extending centrally therethrough with a diametrically enlarged portion 59 opening through the inner end thereof and a smaller diametrical portion 60 opening through the outer portion and continuing through the supplemental case 56. The outer end of the shaft 39 abuts against a shoulder 61 formed at the intersection of the larger and smaller portions of the bores 59 and 60 through the sleeve 57, and the bore 46 of the said shaft 39 alines with the bore 60, and in these bores the sliding key 55 has movement. This key 55 is formed with an outer cylindrical rack or toothed portion 62 and an inner substantially cylindrical head 63 with a slotted inner extremity 64 in which the outer end of a key dog 65 is movably mounted through the medium of a pivot pin 66 extending transversely through the inner reduced extremity 64 of the said head 63. The key dog as shown by Fig. 5 is flat and freely moves through the slot 47 in the upperportion of the outer tubular extremity of the shaft 39. The key dog 65 has a head 67 with an upper flat edge 68 and inner and outer inclined edges 69 and 70, and by this means the upper portion of the key dog head 67 is reduced, to readily enter between the washers 45 and engage the key. grooves 48 of the respective gears 41 to 44, inclusive. The key dog 65 is normally forced upwardly into engaging position relatively to the grooves 48 of the ears 41 to 44, inclusive, by a flat spring 71 secured to the lower edge thereof and having an upturned lower end 72 freely movable on the lower portion of the wall of the bore 46, as clearly shown by Fig. 4. The lower portion of the supplemental gear case 56 is transversely chambered and bored," as at 73 and 74, the upper portion of the chamber 73 opening into the continuation of the bore 60 through the supplemental case and in which the sliding key has operation. In the transverse chamber 73 and bore 74 a short transverse shaft 75 is mounted having a gear enlargement 76 at an intermediate point and a smooth cylindrical continuation 77 of the gear provided with an outer cylindrical turn head 78 having diametrically opposed gripping arms or operating members 79. The gear 76 is held in continued mesh with the cylindrical rack 62 of the sliding key 55 by a nut and washer 80 on the rear end of the shaft 75, as shown by Fig. 6. On the one side of the supplemental gear case 56, as shown by Fig. 1, is a suitable mark or groove 81, and on the head 78 are alternately arranged short and comparatively long marks or grooves 82 and 83, which are adapted to register with the mark or groove 81. The longer marks 83 are numbered in accordance with the positions of the gears 41 to 44, inclusive, so that an operator by turning the head 78 may adjust the key 55 to bring the key dog head 67 into engagement with the gear desired to obtain the speed of rotation that will result from engagement of such gear with the shaft 39 through the medium of the key dog. The

through the head 78 either to the right or left may be expeditiously effected and the desirable speed instantly acquired, and it y will be understood that the washers 45 are loose on the extremity of the shaft 39 within the gear case 28 and that the gears 41 to 44, inclusive, also have loose rotatable mounting on the said washers. The opposite beveled upper edge portions 69 and 70 of the key dog head 67 obviously facilitate the inward and outward movement of the said key dog head past the washers 45, and when the upper flat edge 68 of the key dog head bears against the inner. edge of either one of the washers 45, the gears 41 to 44, inclusive, as a who-1e will be disconnected from the shaft extremity 39. However, the instant the key dog head 67 passes either one of the washers 45. the spring 71 will act and force the said head outwardly into the groove 48 of the gear desired to be connected to the shaft 39.

It will be noted that the bracket frame 27 is disposed at a normal outward and downward angle of inclination relatively to the end of the casing 5 to which it is applied and i the degree of such inclination is dependent upon the adjustment of the screw 37, the

said screw also being operable to compensate for wear of the worm teethof the worm 40 and worm wheel 24 and always thereby inllO over, when this outer heavier extremity of the bracket frame is elevated a suflicient dis tance, the worm 40 will be disengaged from the worm wheel 24.. The operative. coordination of the outer extremity of the bracket frame 27 and the breast of the gin is effected through the medium of a connecting rod 84 having an upper screw threaded end 85 adjustably mounted in a longitudinally slotted coupling head 86 pivotally attached to one side of the extension 32, as at 87. The lower extremity of the connecting rod -84 projects downwardly into a tubular housing 88 and is reciprocable through an opening 89 in the top of the housing, a stop nut 90 engaging the rod and adjustable on the latter through the medium of screw threads 91 formed onsaid rodimmediately above the top of the housing 88 and continuing over the full length of the lower extremity of the rod, to limit the downwai ovement of the said rod in accordance with the adjustment found necessary and desirable. On the lower end of the red as within the housing is nut 92, and between this nut and the upper terminal of the bore of the housing a spring 9 surrounds the rod. is free to move upwardly through the housing against the resistance of the spring 0i,

' rod and the bracket ly the worm i0 cushioned, and in the event the worm teeth of the worm -10 do h the teeth of ie the i housing a cltet extension fixed at hSlOY the top 1a.. the gin bre medium of suitable fastenii gaging the square top bracket 21 fro i jects. The square'pin extends through and is movable i a longitud'nal slot 08 in the lower extrei f th 1.. .ekei: extension 05, and fulcriuned' in a slot, 90 of the bracket extension 95 is a lever 100, the lower end of the said lever being pivoted in the slot, as at 101, at the lower end of the bracket extension. The slot 99 continues upwardly and forwardly in the form of an angular opening 102 above the slot 98, and the lever 100 has an upper crooked extremity 103 movable inwardly and outwardly through the opening 102 and tern'iinating in a flat head 1041-. The upper portion of the rear edge 105 of the lever 100 is engaged by the lower free extremity of a flat spring 106, the said spring being secured to the upper portion of the housing, as clearly hown by Figs. 7 and 8. Through. the medium of the tension of the spring 106 the lever 100 is normally projected outwardly, and at an intermediate point the said lever has a shoulder 107, which normally bears over a portion of the upper edge of the square pin 22 and holds gears 40 and 24; against accidental disengagement. The lever 100 associated with the square pin 22 as just explained also provides means for releasing the breast and permitting the latter to be raised without stopping the feed of the cotton, it being only necessary to manually raise the breast without interfering with the feed of the cotton to press against the head 10% of the lever 100 and release the shoulder 107' from the upper edge of the square pin 22, and by this operation it Will be seen that the rod 84 will remain in normal position or will not be moved. However, when the shoulder 107 remains in engagement with the square pin 22 and the 1 pro breast is raised, thehousing 88 with the extension bracket 95 and rod 84 all move together an d the upward movement of the rod raises the outer extremity of the bracket frame 27 together with the mechanical de ices carried by said outer extremity of the bracket frame, and the worm 40 being moved in a reverse direction, or downwardly, will cease to operate the worm wheel 24 and the feed rollers 10 and 11 will simultaneously stop and the feed ofthe cotton by the feed rollers to and eholrir of tlie breast or an overflow feed in relation ing the interval that the breast and improved mechanism are simultaneously raised as just explained.

The lever 100 serves as a catch or locking means and is in a convenient position for manual operation when it is desired to raise the breast of the gin without interfering with the continuous feed of the cotton. The shaft 75 with its gear 76 in continual mesh with the rack 62 and having. an exteriorly located head 78 provides an. easy means for manual adjustment of the sliding key 55 to regulate the feed of the cotton, and the said head 78 is also located within easy reaching distance of the operator.

lirom the foregoing the operation of-the improved mechanism will be readily understood and a brief general supplemental explanation is believed to be ample.

It some-times desirable when first starting the gin to allow the cotton to be fed into the gin breast when the latter is raised out of the saws, and to perform this operation, the lever or catch 100 is forced back, to disengage the pin 22 without affecting the connecting rod 84 and the mechanism to which this red is adjustably. attached. When the gin breast is lowered, the spring106 will force the shoulder 107 of the lever or catch 100 over the upper edge of the square pin 22, so that when the breast is againraised without releasing the lever or catch 100, the natural cycle of operation of the mechanical feed controlling parts will occur and the feeding of cotton will stop. When the sliding key 55 is operated to move from one of the groupof gears 41 to 44, inclusive, to another, the worm 40 and worm wheel 24: are given either an increased or decreased rate of speed of rotation andthe amount of cotton which is passed through the. feeder and into the gin is correspondingly modified. As hereinbefore indicated, the feeding mechanism may be checked or stopped in its operation by shifting the key 55 to such a distance as to cause the. keyfdog head 67 to bear against either oneofthe washers 45, or halt way between any one of the gears L1 to 44, inclusive. in view of the fact that when this adjustment is made, the'said latter gears will run loose with relation tothe hollow extrem- Lli v J the latter will be obviated durity of the shaft 39, and as a consequence, the worm 4:0 and worm wheel 24: will remain idle or cease to rotate.

The improved mechanism embodying the features of the invention may be readily applied to gins and gin feeders now in use or installed with a comparatively small amount of additional structure, in view of the fact that all of the standardized features of gin feeders remain without reconstruction in the application ofthe improved regulator or feed controlling mechanism.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with a casing having feed rollers and a picker roller therein and a gin with a hinged breast, of a gear mounted on the end of one of the feed roller shafts, a gear on the end of the picker roller shaft, a frame mounted to swing on the shaft of the picker roller and carrying gears respectively meshing with the gear of the feed roller shaft and picker roller shaft, means for modifying the speed of rotation of the gear engaging the gear of the feed roller shaft, and a connection between the outer extremity of the said frame and the breast and operable with the breast to check the operation of the feed rollers and also permittingthe breast to be raised without modifying the operation of the feed rollers and picker roller.

2. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feed rollers having shafts, a picker roller having a shaft and a gin breast mounted to raise and lower, of gears mounted on the end of one feed roller shaft and also on the end of the picker roller shaft, gear mechanism mounted to oscillate on the picker roller shaft and having gear elements in mesh with the gears of the feed roller shaft and picker roller shaft, gear devices interposed between the gears of the picker roller shaft and feed roller shaft to modify the operation of the feed roller shaft, and a connection between the breast and the said mechanism for changing the operativeness of the latter relatively to the feed roller shaft when the breast is raised and lowered.

3. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with a casing having feed rollers and picker rollers mounted therein and provided with shafts extending through the casing sides, and a movably mounted gin breast, of gear devices on the end of the picker roller shaft and on the end of one of the feed roller shafts, swinging gear mechanism comprising means for changing the speed of rotation of the feed rollers and including gear devices, one of said gear devices being in continual mesh with the gear devices on the end of the picker roller shaft and the other gear device being separably engaged with the gear device of the feed roller shaft, and connecting means between the said gear mechanism and the breast for controlling the concentrically oscillatable with relation to the picker roll and having means for receivlng motion from the latter and for transmltting motion to one of the feed rollers and also providedwith means for modifying the speed of rotation of the feed rollers, and

means between the said mechanism and the breast for effecting an oscillation of the mechanism relatively to the movement of the breast.

5. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism and a movably mounted gin breast, of gear mechanism mounted to swing and having operating devices between the picker roll and one of the feed rollers and including speed regulating gears, means for manually adjusting the' speed regulating gears, and a connection between the said mechanism and the gin breast to control the operation of the feed rollers relatively to the movement of the breast.

6. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism consisting of feed rollers and a picker roller, the shaft of the picker roller and one feed roller having gears thereon, and a movably mounted gin breast, of driving-and speed regulating gearing mounted to swing in relation to the picker roller and having gear devices respcctively in continual mesh with the gear of the picker roller and in inseparable mesh with the gear of one feed roller, and connecting means between the gear mechanism and the breast and comprising a manually operative catch for releasing the breast relatively to the connecting means to permlt 1ndependent movement ofithe breast,

7. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism including feed rollers and a picker roller, of gear mechanism mounted to swing about the picker roller as a center and having gear devices operable from the picker roller and for operating the one feed roller, a movably mounted gin breast, and connecting means between the latter and the said gear mechanism for oscillating the latter mechanism in consonance with the raising and lowering of the breast to alternately release the one feed roller from and effect engagement of the said roller with the gear mechanism.

8. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism including feed rollers and a picker roller, and a movably mounted gin breast, of gear mechanism mounted to swing about the picker roller ly of the said connecting means.

9. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism including feed rollers and a picker roller, and a movably mounted gin breast, of gear mechanism mounted to swing about the picker roller as a center with the greatest portion of the weight thereof outwardly beyond the said picker roller, the gear mechanism having gear devices respectively operable from the picker roller and for operating the one feed roller, and connecting means between the movably mounted gin breast and the outer portion of the gear mechanism for oscillating the latter in consonance with the raising and lowering of the breast to alternately release the one feed roller from and effect engagement of the said roller with the gear mechanism, the connecting means including a resilient device for cushioning and producing positive engagement of the one gear device with relation to the one feed roller.

10. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism including feed rollers and a picker roller, of a movably mounted gin breast having projecting de vices, gear mechanism mounted to swing about the picker roller as a center and havinggear devices respectively operable from the picker roller and for operating the one feed roller, the said gear mechanism also having loosely mounted gear devices and a manually operable key to throw into operation any one of said gear devices and also to effect inactivity of these gear devices, and connecting means between the movably mounted gin breast and the outer portion of the gear mechanism for oscillating the latter in c-onsonance with the raising and lowering of the breast to alternately release the one feed roller and effect engagement of Said roller with the gear mechanism, the

eas es lower portion of the connecting means being slotted to movably receive the said projection of the gin breast and also having means for releasably locking the gin breast thereto.

11. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism including feed rollers and a picker roller, of a movably mounted gin breast having a projection, gear mechanism mounted to swing in relation to the picker roller and having gear devices respectively operable from the picker roller and for operating the one feed roller,

nd connecting means between the gin breast and the said gear mechanism for oscillating the latter mechanism in consonance with the raising and lowering of the breast, the connecting means having a lower slotted portion to receive the said projection from the gin breast and a manually operative catch normally engaging said projection and operably to release the gin breast for independent movement of the latter.

12. In a cotton gin feeder, the combination with feeding mechanism including feed rollers and a picker roller, one of the feed rollers carrying a gear at one extremity thereof and the picker roller also having a gear at one end of the same, of gear mechanism mounted to swing relatively to the picker roller as a center and having gear devices for transmitting motion from the picker roller and a driven shaft with loose gear devices of different dimensions for engagement with the gear device for transmitting motion from the picker roller, the driven shaft having a gearat its inner extremity in separable mesh with the gear of the one feed roller, and a manually operative slide key to connect any one of the loosely mounted gears with the driven shaft to modify the rate of speed of the latter, and connecting means between the outer portion of the said gear mechanism and the movably mounted gin breast for oscillating the said mechanism in consonance with the raising and lowering of the breast to alternately release the one feed roller from and effect engagement of the said roller with the gear device at the inner extremity of the driven shaft. V

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR W. MERKEL. 

